Other articles by Shawn Messonnier:

Adjust diet for pet with cancer Try a natural therapy for seizure treatment Vegetarian pets? Readers weigh in Canned wet food should help dog with history of bladder stones My puppy's terrible odor Cats don't need carbohydrates, but all-meat diet would be bad Raw-food diet is OK; just handle properly Pet allergies? Here's advice Supplements that aid joints do help pets Food allergy may be culprit

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Dear Dr. Shawn: I've heard that fish oil can help with allergies. My Labrador, Brutus, who has been diagnosed with allergies, itches all the time. I've been giving him one fish-oil capsule twice daily, but he still itches. Should I give him more?

A: Allergies are very common in Labrador retrievers. Those more severely affected itch a lot, similar to Brutus.

I applaud your desire to try using natural therapies to help him. A combination of natural therapies and low-dose medication (given only on really itchy days) works great for most of my allergic patients. Fish oils, specifically, the EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids, are potent anti-inflammatory and anti-itching ingredients. However, they must be given at high doses (much higher than the label dosage) in order to be effective.

The label dose is usually good to maintain a healthy coat and skin, but is way too low to help treat medical problems.

I generally recommend 1,500-2,000 mg per day of EPA+DHA. You'll need to find a potent product so you don't have to give Brutus too many capsules. (Most fish-oil products have less than 500 mg of the omega-3s per pill.)

I would also recommend frequent bathing with a good aloe-vera-and-oatmeal product. Various herbs (Silerex, Total Inflam, Sino-Allergy, DTX Allergy) and homeopathics (Heel Allergy, Sulfur) may also be needed. Treating allergies involves an individualized approach, and each pet will respond to a different protocol.